


Merry and Bright

by sleep_deprived_writer



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Author doesnt know how to tag, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, mentions of grief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28320177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleep_deprived_writer/pseuds/sleep_deprived_writer
Summary: Henry Fox hates Christmas but this year he meets Alex Claremont Diaz who shakes things up.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35
Collections: The Firstprince Secret Snowflake Exchange





	Merry and Bright

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saturnakasix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saturnakasix/gifts).



> This is for Six for the RWRB Discord Secret Snowflake (link will be in the end notes). A huge thanks to Lise for being an amazing beta!
> 
> There are going to be canon levels of grief mentions in this. Please be careful darlings.

Ten year old Henry never thought he’d hate Christmas as he and Bea play-fought with empty wrapping paper tubes in the living room of their palatial house.

Fifteen year old Henry never thought he’d hate Christmas when he climbed the ladder in front of their Christmas tree to put the star on top for the first time.

Seventeen year old Henry hates Christmas because for the first time and only time it was spent in his father’s hospital room, tainted with the antiseptic smell of a hospital and the knowledge that this might be their last Christmas as a whole family.

Twenty one year old Henry hates Christmas and spends every depressing moment of the season avoiding the songs, the decorations, the cheer. Instead he opts for throwing himself into whatever project he is working on. As a young young author with an uptight publisher, he was always being pushed for more content, and this time of year he was always happy to provide. 

Twenty three year old Henry still hates Christmas however this year, he was almost reluctant to lock himself in his apartment for an entire month. 

Because this year Alexander Claremont-Diaz had come, quite literally, tumbling into his life. It was February when Henry first saw Alex. Henry had just finished his last stop on a book tour for his newest romance novel. Alex had been running down the street late for a meeting with his firm, and Henry had been stepping out of a bookstore with his newest haul. Alex had careened into him at full speed and knocked them both to the ground. Alex had untangled himself first, dropped a business card onto Henry and left in a whirl of brown curls.

Henry lost the business card when he rearranged his apartment the day after, needing change to heThe second time they met was in June; Henry was trying to fight off the writer’s block that was brought on by the anniversary of his father’s death. He had taken his dog David to a dog park when Alex had been dragged towards him by Alex’s dog, Spot. The brown curls were back, accompanied by sparkling brown eyes and a broad smirk.

Henry wouldn’t say they clicked at first. They spent their first week of a tentative friendship arguing over various little things, from the best Star Wars to whether or not Sirius Black and Remus Lupin should have been together (they both thought Wolfstar was canon but still managed to fight about it).

After that, they fell into a rhythm. Henry would text Alex whenever he reached a point in his writing where he felt like putting a word on a page was equivalent to climbing Mount Everest and Alex would text Henry during the firm’s daily briefings, aka ‘daily mind torture sessions’. It was nice. Henry had a new friend that wasn’t his sister or his college best friend and Alex had someone to pester constantly. 

Thinking back on it, Henry didn’t know when things changed or if they ever did. When their banter turned from friendly ribbing to heated flirting. Henry didn’t mind at all; he just hoped that Alex was sincere when he said the things he did.

It was July when they acted on the heated flirting. Henry invited his friends and some acquaintances out for drinks to celebrate him finishing his newest book (if the love interest happened to look and act and think like Alex, well that was just a coincidence). There had been something different in Alex’s eyes when he had come into the bar that night, blowing in from the rainy night like a hurricane.

Whenever Henry tried to rope him into conversation Alex would just take a sip of his shiner and deliberately turn to someone else; and every time he did Henry’s heart would pang with the loss of Alex’s attention. He could tell something had changed; he just hoped Alex wouldn’t leave him gutted like a forest after a wildfire, he was to Henry, an all consuming force that demanded all of Henry all the time. It was too overwhelming but Henry didn’t want to leave it.

And he didn’t. But what he did was start to count how many times Alex turned away when Henry tried to talk to him. That was until Alex was the only person left in the group and they just sat in silence. Until Alex got into Henry’s face as they left the bar, pressing him up against the brick wall. Until Alex kissed Henry and lit him on fire. They burned all night or at least until they both decided to watch Great British Baking Show in Henry’s bed.

That night Henry stayed awake even after Alex fell asleep after two episodes for fear it was all a dream, but it wasn’t. Alex stayed through the night and he stayed through the morning where he distracted Henry with a kiss just to steal his bagel. This led to Henry chasing Alex through his apartment while David barked from the couch. It was nice. It was happy. It felt like home. 

Henry was nervous that becoming partners would be too much of a change but it wasn’t a change at all. At least not too much. They were the same way they were before, just with kisses and cuddling and all of the things Henry had dreamed of but was too scared to voice. It was bliss. Henry would walk Alex to work when he stayed the night, and when Alex didn’t, Henry would bring him coffee at his lunchtime because he had nothing important to do most of the time except stare at his computer screen and pace in his apartment. Sometimes Alex would burst into his apartment late at night bearing takeout, Spot, and his work files proclaiming that his apartment was too quiet but when in reality he couldn’t bear to be alone with the heartbreaking stories that he had to see regularly interning for an immigration lawyer. 

Those nights Henry would gently pull him away from his files at 3 in the morning and hold Alex as he tried not to fall apart. There were other nights where Alex would have to do the same for Henry. When the words wouldn’t come out, and his brain was too buried under a cloud of fog to be of use to anyone. Those nights Alex would get a shaky call from Henry asking him to bring cake and Spot. Alex would and then he would hold Henry while they sat eating cake on the couch watching their dogs play It was relative bliss. 

But of course the bliss couldn’t last. December had to roll around. December always brought up too many memories. Memories that were tainted by the all consuming grief over the loss of his father. It had been his father’s favorite month. Henry remembers the way his fathers eyes would light up at the sight of the Christmas trees, and the lights, and the Santas on every corner. He remembered the way that his father kept up the ruse of Santa Claus even until that last Christmas. It had been magical and light but it wasn’t any longer. Not for Henry. Alex knew this, Henry had told him, but Alex had taken on the task of making Christmas magical for Henry again. On November 30th Alex had asked if he could give Henry new good Christmas memories this year and Henry, realizing for not the first time that he was head over heels in love with Alex, acquiesced.

On December 1st Alex had burst into Henry’s apartment wearing an ugly Christmas sweater under a heavy coat, announcing that they were going ice skating. Henry hadn’t been ice skating since he was a teenager. It was nice. Alex staunchly tried to skate by himself and failed every time while Henry just watched. By the time they were done skating Alex was sore and covered and bruises and Henry was laughing uncontrollably. When they got to Henry’s apartment Henry urged Alex to take a hot shower to keep from getting too sore. Henry decided to get out photo albums from his skating lessons and make some tea.

The noise from Alex’s shower became the backdrop to a spiral of memories. Memories of chilly nights spent beside a fireplace and lare hands wiping away tears after failed ice skating lessons.

When Alex emerged from Henry’s bedroom freshly showered and wearing one of Henry’s jumpers Henry was staring at one picture of his father trying and failing to remember where the picture was taken. When Alex sat down beside Henry on the couch he gently pried the photo album out of Henry’s hands. 

“Hen focus on the good remember?” Alex said gently. It was something Henry would tell Alex all the time on his bad days but he could never seem to remember it himself.

“I can’t though. I feel him fading away and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.” Tears started streaming hot and fast down Henry’s face. The hands wiping away Henry’s tears now were warm and soft and made the tears fall faster.

“I can’t imagine what you’re feeling but I know your dad isn’t going to fade away. He’s always going to be a part of you no matter how time passes and your memory fades. He’ll always be there.”

“God I love you.” Henry said as he let his head drop onto Alex’s shoulder.

“I love you too Hen” Alex wrapped his arms around Henry and pressed a gentle kiss into his hair. “We don’t have to keep doing Christmas things if you don’t want to. I’m perfectly content sitting on your bed and eating chocolate for the entirety of December if that’s what you need.” Henry laughed.

“ I want to keep going. I want to remember what it was like to have a happy time at Christmas. I want to know why Dad loved it so much.” Henry lifted his head off of Alex’s shoulder so he could face him. “I want to remember what its like to spend Christmas with someone I love again” Alex smiles and kisses Henry.  
“Dear god you’re amazing.” Alex’s expression changes from fond to mischievous. “Now ti

me for a very important Christmas tradition. Looking at your boyfriend’s embarrassing pictures” Alex said as he grabbed one of the photo albums that said “Henry Year 10”

“Oh no no no. Not that one. Any one but that one” Henry said reaching for the album as Alex lept of the couch carting the album with him. 

“Henry double denim  _ really _ . What would Pez say?”

“Pez would tell you to give back the bloody album.” Alex cackled as Henry once again tried to grab the album from him. 

“But babe it’s so fun” Alex smirked at Henry and he melted. Henry could hardly ever resist Alex and his smirks especially now. When Henry was starting to remember why he used to love Christmas time. 

**Author's Note:**

> RWRB: A Grey Area Discord Server: https://discord.gg/JwardtVJRV


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